Isle of Anglesey

Isle of Anglesey's population grew in the 10 years leading up to 2011. At the same time there were changes in family life, religion and health.

The population reached nearly 70,000

Between the last two censuses, the population of Isle of Anglesey increased by 4.4%, from about 66,800 to 69,800.

The addition of just over 2,900 people means this area's population increased at a slower rate than the total population of Wales (up 5.5% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Isle of Anglesey was home to, on average, 0.7 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was similar to the average across Wales

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across Wales, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Isle of Anglesey

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Isle of Anglesey increased by three years, from 42 to 45 years.

This remote area had a slightly higher average age than Pembrokeshire (one of the most statistically similar areas to Isle of Anglesey based on ONS area classifications) (45 years of age) and the third-highest average age in Wales.

The rise in age was because of an increase of just over 2,600 people between the ages of 60 and 69 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by about 1,000.

About 15% of people in Isle of Anglesey are aged between 60 and 69 years

Percentage of usual residents in Wales, Conwy and Isle of Anglesey by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Fall in proportion of Welsh speakers

The proportion of Welsh speakers in Isle of Anglesey fell from 60% to 57% in the 10 years leading up to Census 2011.

There are 141 fewer people living here who spoke Welsh compared with 2001, while the number of people who did not spoke Welsh increased by 2,865.

In Conwy (the local authority area that shares the largest boundary with Isle of Anglesey), 27% of people over the age of three could speak some Welsh, down from 29% at the 2001 census. Across Wales, the proportion fell from 21% to 19%.

The proportion of people who could speak Welsh was higher than across Wales

Percentage of people aged three and over that said they could speak Welsh across local authority areas in Wales and the average across Wales, March 2011

Fewer homes with children

Isle of Anglesey saw Wales' largest fall in the proportion of households with children.

In 2011, just over one in four (25%) households in Isle of Anglesey had at least one dependent child, compared with 29% in 2001. The percentage with no children increased from 61% to 64%.

Denbighshire saw Wales' next largest rise in the proportion of households with children (from 28% to 27%).

The proportion of households with children was lower than across Wales

Percentage of households with at least one dependent child across local authority areas in Wales and the average across Wales, March 2011

Change in Isle of Anglesey housing

Isle of Anglesey saw Wales' largest rise in the proportion of households that owned their home.

In 2011, just under 7 in 10 (69%) households in Isle of Anglesey owned their home, compared with 68% in 2001. The percentage of privately rented homes increased from 12% to 14%.

Powys saw Wales' next largest rise in the proportion of households that owned their home (from 69% to 69%).

The rate of home ownership was higher than across Wales

Percentage of households that owned their home across local authority areas in Wales and the average across Wales, March 2011

Changing work life

The percentage of Isle of Anglesey residents that were unemployed remained close to 4.7% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

In 2011, just under one in two (48%) people aged 16 to 74 said they were employed, compared with 45% in 2001. The percentage of Isle of Anglesey residents that were self-employed increased from 8.8% to 10%.

The proportion of unemployed people fell at the third fastest rate of all local authority districts across Wales. As a result, this area had the country's seventh highest proportion of unemployed people and the lowest proportion of homeowners.

The rate of unemployment was higher than across Wales

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 that said they were unemployed across local authority areas in Wales and the average across Wales, March 2011

Religion in Isle of Anglesey

The number of people in Isle of Anglesey that described themselves as having no religion increased from just under 9,100 in 2001 to just under 18,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 14% to 26% of the local population.

The percentage increased by less than the average across Wales (from 19% to 32%).

The number of people in Isle of Anglesey that described themselves as Christian decreased from just over 53,000 in 2001 to just over 45,000 in 2011 (from 79% to 65%). The number of people who did not disclose their religious affiliation increased from just over 4,300 to about 5,800 (from 6.5% to 8.3%).

About 260 people (0.3%) said they identified with a religion other than Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism or Sikhism, up from just over 180 in 2001 (0.4%).

The population without a religion in Isle of Anglesey increased by 12 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Wales, Conwy and Isle of Anglesey by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Isle of Anglesey residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 11% to 6.3% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just under 8 in 10 (79%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 67% in 2001. The percentage of Isle of Anglesey residents that described their health as fair decreased from 22% to 15%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell at a similar rate to nearby Conwy (which remained close 7.0%). Across Wales, the proportion fell from 12% to 7.6%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Isle of Anglesey decreased by 4.2 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Isle of Anglesey, Conwy and Wales said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

More single people in Isle of Anglesey

The percentage of single people in Isle of Anglesey increased from 26% to 30% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

In 2011, just under one in two (49%) people aged 16 and over said they were married, compared with 54% in 2001. The percentage of adults in Isle of Anglesey that had divorced or separated from a married or civil partner increased from 11% to 12%.

The proportion of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership increased at a similar rate to nearby Conwy (which remained close 29%). Across Wales, the proportion increased from 28% to 34%.

The proportion of people who had never married or entered a civil partnership was lower than across Wales

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they were single across local authority areas in Wales and the average across Wales, March 2011

More people cohabiting

The percentage of households in Isle of Anglesey, which comprised a cohabiting couple, increased from 7.0% to 9.1% in the decade to 2011.

In 2011, just under one in three (32%) households had only one person, compared with 29% in 2001. The percentage of households in Isle of Anglesey which comprised a married couple (with or without children) decreased from 37% to 32%.

The proportion of households with an unmarried couple increased at a similar rate to nearby Conwy (which remained close 9.0%). Across Wales, the proportion increased from 7.5% to 9.7%.

The percentage of households with a cohabiting couple in Isle of Anglesey increased by 2.1 percentage points

Percentage of households in Isle of Anglesey, Conwy and Wales that had an unmarried couple, March 2001 and March 2011

More people worked short hours

The percentage of employed people in Isle of Anglesey working less than 16 hours increased from 1.4% to 2.7% in the decade to 2011.

In 2011, just over 1 in 10 (10%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, compared with 13% in 2001.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week increased at a similar rate to nearby Conwy (which remained close 3.2%). Across Wales, the proportion increased from 1.7% to 3.0%.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week in Isle of Anglesey increased by 1.3 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Isle of Anglesey, Conwy and Wales that said they had worked less than 16 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Isle of Anglesey

The percentage of Isle of Anglesey residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 4.3% to 4.8% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

In 2011, just over 1 in 15 (6.7%) reported being limited a little in their day-to-day activities, compared with 6.5% in 2001. The percentage of Isle of Anglesey residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability decreased from 89% to 88%.

The proportion of people who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased at a similar rate to nearby Conwy (which remained close 5.0%). Across Wales, the proportion increased from 4.6% to 5.2%.

The proportion of people who are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability was lower than across Wales

Percentage of usual residents that reported being considerably limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in Wales and the average across Wales, March 2011

Change in unpaid care provision

The percentage of Isle of Anglesey residents that provided at least 50 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 3.0% to 3.1% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

In 2011, 1.7% of reported providing between 20 and 49 hours of unpaid care each week, compared with 1.4% in 2001.

The proportion of people providing 50 hours, or more, of weekly unpaid care increased at a similar rate to nearby Conwy (which remained close 3.5%). Across Wales, the proportion increased from 3.1% to 3.4%.

The proportion of people providing 50 hours, or more, of weekly unpaid care in Isle of Anglesey remained close to 3.1%

Percentage of usual residents in Wales, Conwy and Isle of Anglesey by care, March 2001 and March 2011

↑ Back to the top

Area report data

Related links